The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been won by Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, and Alexei I. Ekimov.
- They were awarded for their work on quantum dots.
- The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said these laureates opened up the world of nanotechnology.
- Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov, in the 1980s, independently developed quantum dots.
- Quantum dots are incredibly small nanoparticles influenced by quantum effects.
- Moungi Bawendi improved quantum dot production in 1993, boosting their quality and paving the way for their use in nanotechnology.
- The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry celebrates the progress made in the field of quantum dots.
- Quantum dots’ size determines their unique properties.
- They are now used in various applications, from LED lamps and TVs to catalysing chemical reactions and highlighting tumour tissue during surgery.
- Quantum dots are primarily used to produce coloured light.
- Researchers predict quantum dots will be used in future applications such as flexible electronics, tiny sensors, thinner solar cells, and secure quantum communication.
Understanding Quantum Dots
- Quantum Dots, or QDs, are tiny artificially made crystals.
- They possess unique properties such as the ability to emit different colours of light when exposed to UV light, and they can transport electrons.
- These characteristics make them useful in various fields, such as creating solar cells, composites, and medical imaging, and for use in displays and lighting.
- Quantum dots, which are essentially tiny particles of semiconductors, were first conceived in the 1970s and made in the 1980s.
- When these semiconductor particles are small enough, they start showing quantum effects. These effects limit the energy levels at which electrons can exist in the particles.
- As energy is associated with wavelength, or colour, which makes the optical properties of the particle adjustable based on its size.
- By controlling the size of the quantum dot, it can be tuned to emit or absorb light of specific wavelengths or colours.
Understanding The Potential Of Quantum Dots
- Quantum dots (QDs) are artificial nanostructures with unique properties based on their material and shape.
- They have significant potential in fields like electronics, where they could form part of single-electron transistors.
- Factors like size, shape, composition, and structure (solid or hollow) affect the properties of QDs.
- For effective use in diverse areas like catalysis, electronics, photonics, information storage, imaging, medicine, and sensing, we need reliable production technologies. These should generate large quantities of uniform nanocrystals.
- QDs are showing promise in bioanalytics and biolabeling, among other applications.
- Early quantum dots showed potential but had issues like stability in salt-containing solutions, limiting their use.
- These issues have since been addressed, making QDs more viable for real-world applications, including testing in samples like blood.